102081 Adolescent Development and Teaching

Reflection by CE Lock

During this unit I have met some great scholars. They have had important roles in the research and
practice of adolescent development theory. First there was G Stanley Hall with his Storm and Stress
view, then Robert Epstein who argues that too many rules only serve to infantilise young people.
Joy Giedd talks about the Healthy Body and risk-taking paradox, while BJ Casey says that
adolescent behaviour is an adaptation of evolutionary behaviour.

I found Lawrence Steinberg's research on cerebral maturation rates most interesting. He theorises
that the limbic system or the socio emotional centre of the brain, matures faster than and hijacks the
frontal cortex which matures more slowly. This is what causes emotional and sometimes irrational
behaviour in adolescents. This together and understanding hot and cold cognition in peer group
scenarios has helped me to understand the behaviour of teenagers more thoroughly.

I found Erik Erikson's work on Social and Emotional learning interesting. The paper Building
Resilience in Social and Emotional Learning, produced by Melbourne University for the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, is a comprehensive practical
document that is a teacher friendly resource. I am confident that I will be able to use it in the
classroom to teach young people about well-being and building resilience.

My key learning area is science. The classical theories inherent in physics and chemistry and
biology or biochemistry are not easy concepts to conceptualise and learn. The increasing demands
of standardised testing and the mounting importance being placed on the NAPLAN tests in year 7, 9
and 11 cause increasing stress levels for many students. Having a resource to practically teach
intervention skills for Stress Management, Positive Coping Strategies, Help Seeking, Problem
Solving, Emotional Learning and the value of appreciating and growing Personal Strengths is a vital
capability for a professional teacher to impart to students and contributing towards the teacher duty
of care for students.
REFERENCES

Arnett, J. J. (2006). G. Stanley Hall’s Adolescence: Brilliance and nonsense. History of Psychology,
9, 186-197.

Beadle, S., Cahill, H., Farrelly, A., Forster, R., & Smith, K., Building Resilience: Social and
Emotional Learning Materials Level 9-10, Youth Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate
School of Education, University of Melbourne. For the Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development (DEECD). Retrieved from
https://vuws.westernsydney.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-2872281-dt-content-rid

Casey, B. J., & Caudle, K. (2013). The teenage brain: Self-control. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 22, 82-87.

Giedd, J. N. (2012). The digital revolution and adolescent brain evolution. Journal of Adolescent
Health, 51, 101–105.

Steinberg, L., & Cauffman, E. (1999). A developmental perspective on serious juvenile crime:
When should juveniles be treated as adults? Federal-Probation, 63, 52–57.